Finding Strength
by Dragon Pulse
Summary: When Eagle awakens, he learns that he needs to rely on the strength of others - not just his own.


"Lantis! Lantis, wake up!"

The sound of Hikaru's cheerful voice was an unexpected wake-up call. Lantis certainly hadn't expected it, though he had little problem with being jolted from his sleep in this manner. His eyes opened, clouded from sleep as he rolled his neck. He blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to the brightness from the sunlight that filled the room. Realizing where he was, he suppressed a sigh. He hadn't intended on falling asleep in the chair next to Eagle's bed, thought it was becoming a more common occurrence in recent weeks.

Months had passed since Eagle had fallen into that deep sleep - eight months, according to Hikaru's calendar - and with each passing day, it seemed his recovery had been coming closer, quite possibly faster than any of them had expected. The two men had kept their close contact via telepathy, and knowing that Eagle could awaken any day now, Lantis had chosen to keep a mindful eye on the situation. Perhaps a little too much so, according to some, given the amount of time he'd spent in that room.

It didn't bother Lantis though, save for the fact that he rarely got a solid night of rest when he fell asleep in that chair. It made his body sore, evidenced in the way he rolled his neck once again in an attempt to stretch it out as he responded to Hikaru.

"Is it Sunday already?" His voice was groggy, but curious. It seemed as if it had only been a couple of days since he'd last seen her; possibly too soon for seven days to have passed. His sleep schedule in conjunction with his anticipation made the days blur together, however, leaving him unsure of how much time had passed.

In response, Hikaru smiled cheerfully, cocking her head to the side slightly. "Actually, it's summer in Japan right now! We're all on break from school, so I can visit more often. But… but that's not why I woke you!"

"Oh?" His eyebrow quirked curiously. He'd assumed sleeping in the chair was reason enough to be awoken, but if there was something more, Lantis wanted to hear it.

"Well, when I woke up this morning, I was going to get ready for Tanabata!" She began to explain. Lantis' expression remained a bit bewildered, unsure what exactly 'Tanabata' was, but he said nothing yet, waiting for her to finish. "But I had this weird feeling. A good weird! So I called Umi-chan and Fuu-chan and we came here instead. And look!"

With an excited leap, Hikaru moved out of the way, bringing Eagle's bed back into his line of sight. And there his old friend sat, propped up with pillows and golden eyes wide open. A weak smile lined his face and he just as weakly lifted an arm to offer a wave. Lantis found himself frozen for a brief moment, disbelief overtaking him. Though he was aware that Eagle was close to recovery, seeing him awake in front of them still had felt like a far away goal, something that he so desperately wanted to see come to reality, but couldn't quite imagine actually happening.

He knew it was going to eventually, though. In his head, there was no denying that the day would come - and now that it had, he realized he wasn't prepared for just how overwhelming a feeling it would be. No, this was nothing he could have possibly been prepared for.

"Eagle…" He trailed off, standing up when the shock had settled a bit. It was only a few steps to the bed, and he stopped right beside it and kneeled over to examine. Lantis wanted to see that this was real, that it was tangible and not just some result of a sleep-deprived delirium.

"I said it would be soon, didn't I?" Eagle closed his eyes, offering a slightly wider smile. "You don't need to look so surprised by it."

Lantis only nodded. The response was nothing short of typical, but the situation was still a sensory overload for him.

"Isn't it great?" Hikaru interjected after a moment. Her expression was bright, almost glowing from the excitement. "Now we'll be able to do things together!"

"Mm!" The grin seemed to be planted on Eagle's face, but it was undeniable that despite being awake, he was still weak. Lantis could see it in his motions, despite how small. It was evident in his voice as well - months of not using his vocal cords were leaving their affect on him. Lantis thought that maybe, just for the moment, it was inconsequential though. There was time for further recovery and rehabilitation; he was awake now, and there was no better start than that.

His lips curved slightly upwards, looking from Eagle and back to Hikaru. He thought for a moment, considering what he could say, but he wasn't given the chance, interrupted by Eagle.

"I want to go outside. Can we?"

The smile faded immediately to a look of concern, his eyes darting towards Hikaru again. She too, seemed to hold concern due to Eagle's words.. Silent. They both stayed silent for a moment, unsure of just how to tell him that it was possibly too soon. Eagle was lucky he could speak, let alone be able to move practically any muscle in his body. Walking was most definitely out of the question.

"I think after waiting this long, the least I can get to do is see this country's sky."

"But Eagle…" Hikaru couldn't help but be concerned in just the same way Lantis was. There really was no limit to Eagle's stubbornness. Really, it was a trait the three of them shared, but it seemed that Eagle's was always more self-sacrificing than the other two. No, it didn't seem that way - it was that way. This time, while different, still reeked of the same reasoning he'd had for wanting to become the Pillar to begin with. Lantis' frown deepened slightly, trying to push the memory of that idea from his mind. One step at a time.

"We should wait." He was firm in his tone, giving his head a shake. "You've only just woke up; it could be risky."

"It'll be short! I can handle that much." Eagle responded, letting a smile that seemed nothing short of typical for him grace his face. After a moment, he slowly began to shift. His arms trembled while he moved, placing his palms down as firmly as he could against the mattress. Despite the smile, determination lay within his eyes - he wanted to see the sky, and he wanted to prove he was capable of doing so. The honest truth was that Eagle himself was unsure if he could. He could feel the weakness in his arms, all of his strength going into the act of propping himself up.

He forged forward though, not letting his smile fade as he pushed himself a bit harder. It took more than one try, but he managed to swing his legs over the end of the bed. His arms shook a bit harder, his muscles weak and limp from months of disuse.

Hikaru cupped a hand to her mouth; it wasn't clear whether it was from surprise or worry - perhaps both, but she felt frozen as she watched Eagle move. Each passing second was another closer to him standing, but she couldn't quite find the right words to bring him to his senses. At least, she couldn't do so fast enough. "Eagle-"

She'd been ready to say it. _Please, just wait a few days. Wait until you're stronger, and I promise, we'll go outside and watch the sky from the moment you can do it until the stars were out_. I But before she could, he'd pushed himself away from the mattress and into an immediate stumble. That proved it - his legs still weren't strong enough.

"Eagle!" Hikaru cried out, jumping forward. Lantis had been one step ahead of her, however. As soon as his feet had hit the floor, the Cail had jumped forward, only allowing the other man to stumble briefly, but not to fall completely.

"Stubborn," He stated quietly, his arms wrapping tightly around Eagle to keep them both steady. He was strong, but Eagle still was a lot of weight to hold, especially from the awkward way he'd been positioned in order to prevent him from falling.

"I'm okay, Hikaru." Eagle's chuckle was weak, but present as he used the remaining strength in his muscles to try and shift the weight away from Lantis. "As always, Lantis is there when he's needed."

"You could have hurt yourself!" She argued the point a bit, more so out of worry than anger. The last thing she'd wanted after all of these months of waiting for Eagle to heal was to see him get injured again.

Neither Eagle or Hikaru were given a chance to finish their tiff though. Lantis shifted, leaning down so he could place Eagle on the bed. He pulled his arms away from the protective grip, allowing Eagle to use his own strength to prop himself up, still letting his legs hang over the side of the bed. "Sit for a moment."

There was a moment of silence, and the two were left to wonder just what Lantis was doing. Though the concern was evident on his face, his expression seemed thoughtful - as if he was trying to make some sort of decision. Hikaru's head cocked to the side, completely oblivious to what he could possibly be thinking. Even Eagle wasn't quite sure; after all of this time, he found the man a bit difficult to read at times. General emotions he could pick up on, but given their unusual situation, it was hard for him to tell.

And that was why it surprised them both when he turned, squatting down with his back towards Eagle.

"We'll go outside. But I'll take you there," Lantis turned his head to look back at his friend, his hand reaching for one of Eagle's arms. He clutched his wrist gently before pulling his left arm so it was draped around Lantis' collar bone. With another chuckle, Eagle complied to motion and brought his right arm forward. He clutched as tightly as his strength would allow and once secure, Lantis shifted so that his hands could grip the lower part of Eagle's thigh. After another moment, he stood and turned slightly to Hikaru. His lips formed a small smile - nothing nearly as wide as what Eagle was currently displaying - but just enough. "Let's go."

"Right!" Hikaru grinned, running forward to catch up to the two and keep pace with them. "That's really a great idea, Lantis! Now we can spend time together while being outside. And who knows? Maybe the fresh air will help you recover a little bit faster, Eagle!"

"I think I'll recover just fast enough if you keep believing in it." Eagle rested his chin over Lantis' shoulder as they walked, his eyes meeting with Hikaru's as he spoke. "After all, it was because of you I recovered as quickly as I did!"

"Lantis and I… we both wanted to see you well again. We're so lucky to have a world where that was able to help you get better! We just need a little bit more time and you'll really be back on your feet!"

He offered a small chuckle in agreement, but the remainder of the walk was silent. There was so much they all wanted to say, but there was time. They now had more time than ever to properly catch up and spend time with one another. They'd all found themselves more in awe than they'd expected to be; it was a moment to take in and simply appreciate. Smiles were on all of there faces as they made their way down the long corridor that lead to the outside, grateful for this day.

Approaching the door, Hikaru ran slightly ahead, pulling it open so that Lantis could easily pass through it with Eagle on his back. They were greeted with warm, crisp air that was scented with the lush greenery that surrounded them. Eagle drew in a deep breath as he squinted, his eyes trying to adjust to the brightness of the sunlight that shone overhead.

"Stunning," He stated with awe in his voice. He could see the true sky here and it was better than he could have ever imagined it. The sky was vivid and blue, lined with fluffy clouds that surrounded the sun in just away that it didn't detract from how much light it spread over them. "There had been a point where I didn't think I'd ever get to see such a thing."

He fell silent once more, doing all he could to absorb every last inch of his surroundings. He let Lantis and Hikaru guide the way, watching with content until Hikaru finally interrupted.

"How about there, Lantis?" She pointed towards a large tree. "It's the perfect spot to sit! And if you want to wait, I can go inside and bring us some lunch. We can have a picnic out here!"

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Hikaru!" Eagle interjected before the other had a chance to verbalize his reply. Instead, he nodded his head, looking to Hikaru with a smile as he headed in that direction.

"I'll be right back, then!"

Hikaru offered a wave before running back in the other direction. As Lantis made his way to the tree, he remained silent, finally stopping and kneeling down under a shady spot. Eagle took the hint, pulling his arms back and sitting, his back resting against the tree. Even though he'd hardly done any work, his body felt exhausted from that trip alone - the rest was an appreciated one. He looked up at Eagle, grinning before his eyes darted towards the sky. This was certainly the beginning of something new and exciting for all of them.


End file.
